Nisar moves SC as HEC sweeps degree matter under carpet

ISLAMABAD – After Higher Education Commission placed Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan among the parliamentarians whose academic credentials could not be verified, the top PML-N leader snapped back on Saturday with a plea calling for placement of record before the Supreme Court as regards the efforts made to verify his degrees and testimonials from the universities, institutions he attended. In his application, the former National Assembly opposition leader submitted the commission chairman might kindly be called on to explain as to why he acted in disobedience to the ruling of this court in the Rizwan Gill case, by putting no steps in for verification of his certificates/degrees, and for sweeping the matter under the carpet with patent mala fide and ulterior motives. The chairman of the education commission might graciously be called on to give reasons for placing the name of the applicant in the list of 189 parliamentarians, without making any efforts whatsoever for verification of his academic credentials, the plea stated. Nisar submitted he had continuously been elected as member of the National Assembly since the 1985 elections, adding he had acquired his O-level GCE (general certificate of education) in 1968 from Burnhall School in Abbottabad and A-level GCE from Aitchison College in Lahore. Examinations had been conducted by Cambridge University, England, through the British Council and the results had directly been communicated to the said institutions. The applicant did his graduation from University of the Punjab in 1972, and afterwards he did his MSC in International Relations from Islamabad University, now called the Quaid-e-Azam University, the plea detailed. Nisar further submitted that about three and half years ago, this court had, after hearing the Rizwan Gill case (Muhammad Rizwan Gill vs Nadia Aziz and others PLD 2010 SC 828), directed the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Higher Education Commission to verify the genuineness or otherwise of the degrees/certificates of all the parliamentarians. “It is submitted with great respect that in 2002 when the condition of graduation was imposed, all candidates were required to submit their degrees and testimonials to prove the requisite qualification and compliance with the amended law, and the applicant had also done the same. Degrees and testimonials of the applicant on the record of the nomination paper are available with the ECP.” “Thereafter the aforesaid judgment the applicant sent voluntarily advocate Kashif Malik to place on record testimonials and copies of the degrees afresh including his O-level and A-level certificates for the purpose of verification by the HEC . Around the same time, the incumbent chief of the HEC was appointed by President Asif Ali Zardari as his confidant, after reportedly refusing him nomination to a Senate ticket. Advocate Kashif Malik has been conveying the applicant's due compliance of all the requisite formalities and no issue arose until the night before the last date of hearing, March 30-31, 2013, the applicant's name was placed on the website among those parliamentarians whose certificates/testimonials had not been verified.” Nisar submitted that in his case, the entire exercise by the HEC including the campaign of vindication and that including his name in list of 189 parliamentarians was at the behest of President Asif Ali Zardari and no one else. The HEC chairman allowed himself to be misused for causing public disrespect and humiliation to the applicant. There was no justification whatsoever to decline to issue clearance certificate after receipt of verification from Cambridge University, for which the applicant seeks the kind indulgence of this court for taking notice and visiting responsible person(s) with appropriate penalties provided by the law, concluded the plea of the top PML-N leader.